Soccer Headline

The No. 6 University of Florida womenís soccer team defeated East Carolina 2-1 Friday evening in front of a Percy Beard Stadium crowd of 2,112. Florida (5-0) controlled the match early but saw several first half chances glance off the goalpost or find a waiting Pirate player.

East Carolina (2-2-1) had a few first-half chances themselves but freshman goalkeeper Brittni Goodwin was more than ready, shutting the Pirates down as the team played to a first half draw. The Pirates out-shot the Gators 7-5 in the opening 45 minutes.

Florida emerged from the locker room with a renewed commitment knowing their undefeated record was very much on the line. Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh thought the team might have taken East Carolina for granted.

"I think we took East Carolina for granted a little bit," Burleigh said. "To their credit they came out and played a great game but we need to step on the field mentally ready to play every game."

The Gators got on the scoreboard first when Cherry Pickman hammered home a cross from Monica Hoyles in the 64th minute. The play was set up nicely by Robin Fulton, who streaked down the sideline and led Hoyles nicely to the corner where she found a waiting Pickman in front of the Pirate net.

East Carolina would post their only goal not two minutes later when leading scorer Meghan McCallion slid the ball just past Goodwin to the near post.

Senior midfielder Crystal Frimpong added her second game winning goal of the year in the 74th minute as she took a loose ball that squeaked through the Pirate defense and punched in the Gators second goal from five yards out. Frimpong leads the Gators with nine points on the season.

"The second half we came out motivated and focused," Frimpong said. "You could tell the second half was much better than the first half and thatís how we were finally able to score."

The two teams each turned in 12 shots Friday evening. Goodwin turned in five saves while ECUís Lindsi Troxler posted three saves.

Florida is back in action on Sunday against Jacksonville (2-2). The Dolphins defeated Manhattan 4-0 Friday evening. Match time is set for 1:30 p.m. and the first 500 fans will receive the second in a series of four Gatorade trading cards featuring Gator senior soccer players.